She mumbled something that sounded like she said, “My family,” but Laz couldn’t hear her.
“What was that?”
Avery shook her head. “Nothing.” Then she exhaled. “Fine. One song. But that’s it. That doesn’t mean I’ll sign with you or even go on tour or anything. I just want to show you how incredibly average I am.”
“Sure. But when you do show me and, eventually, the rest of the world how amazing you are, you have to promise to sign with me and let me take you to the next level, which means a music deal.” Laz could see so much for her. He wished she had the same belief, the same feeling.
Avery strolled to her apartment building. Laz couldn’t help but follow her, not because he had promised to look at her car. Now he didn’t even know if he did it for his career or hers. Her magnetic pull kept him in her orbit. Fate brought them together for a reason. He wanted to be near this woman.
When Avery arrived at her door, she unlocked it and turned to Laz. For a split second, he wondered if she would ask him to come inside for coffee and conversation. Despite their rocky first couple of meetings, he found an ease in talking to her more than he had with any woman he had been with recently. In the back of his head, he had to keep reminding himself that he had a job to do, not a relationship to start.
“Besides my dad, no man has ever gone out of his way to please me like you have.” A small smile threatened to peek through her hard, outer layer. Avery managed to keep it in check. “You get my car towed here.”
“Not as big of a deal as you think.” He didn’t have to admit to her that he had paid for it out of his own pocket. Laz considered anything he did for Avery as an investment into both of their futures.
“Now you’re offering to fix my car.” She nodded toward the faded blue vehicle.
“No guarantees that I’ll be able to get it running, but I’ll try.”
“The point is that you’re doing an awful lot for a woman you just met.” She lowered her gaze before she made her next statement. “Won’t your wife or girlfriend get upset at all the attention you’re paying to another woman?”
Laz should have been pissed at her question. After making it clear that he would treat her like a client, she dared to ask about his personal life? Instead the subtle inquiry gave him hope and a way to ask her the same thing.
“No attachments right now. Even if I was married or had a steady girlfriend, I would hope she would understand that sometimes I have to do things for my clients that may not be orthodox.” He held out his hand. “Keys, please? Or will your boyfriend or husband be upset that another man is under your hood?”
This time Avery did smile, a broad one that nearly split her head in two. She held her keys over his hand. “Knock on the door when you’re done. Or, better yet.” She held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”
Laz didn’t hesitate. He pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked the screen before handing it to Avery. When she accepted it, she smiled a little before glancing up at him.
“Nice background.”
Laz nodded. “Nina Simone was a great singer.”
Avery typed something on his phone before handing it back to him. As soon as he had it in hand, he engaged the camera and held it up. The motion caused her to raise her hand and block her face.
“I’ve been working all night and I’m exhausted. You are not going to take my picture right now.” She shook her head.
“Fine. Let me do this then.” He found the saved number and dialed it.
Laz didn’t get pleasantly surprised often. As soon as he heard the rhythmic drumming from the opening of Nina Simone’s “Blackbird” as Avery’s ringtone, his heart stopped before it drummed out of control. Who the hell was Avery and how did he get lucky to encounter her in his life?
Instead of acknowledging what Laz had been thinking and feeling, Avery removed her phone from her purse and answered the call in front of him. She stared in his eyes as he brought his phone to his ear.
“If I don’t hear you knocking, give me a call. I’ll be in bed.” A sly smile slithered up at the corners of her mouth. “Sleeping.”
“And your husband or boyfriend doesn’t mind another man having your number and calling you while you’re in bed?” Laz didn’t mean for it to sound that salacious, but he kind of liked this subtle seductive play between the two of them.
Avery disconnected the call. “Good luck with the car.”
Cute. Playing coy. Laz liked that.
She ducked into her apartment and closed the door. After Laz heard her lock it behind her, he started his work. Shedding his shirt and leaving his sleeveless T-shirt on would help him keep cool while he worked. At least he hoped it would.
Laz got into Avery’s car and learned a lot more about the woman. He saw she still had a tape deck along with a six-disc CD changer. Beyond his control, he looked through her console and found CD cases for the albums she must have had loaded in her player. Looked like she listened to everything from Heart to Nine Inch Nails. How eclectic.
A music library like that would work well for him as a manager. He could pitch her different music genres and songs to see where she found her niche.
Laz opened her visor and saw a picture of Chantel Woodley clipped on the inside. His body tingled all over as soon as he realized that Avery must also get inspiration from her. Or maybe she had a crush on the woman. The idea of that had other thoughts running through his mind, fantasies that he needed to push aside so he could get back to work.
After a couple of trips to an auto parts store and several tries, Laz had gotten close to fixing Avery’s problem, but he hadn’t accomplished his goal. Until a bright light illuminated inside the engine, he didn’t realize that he had been working on the vehicle all day into the night.
Laz peered next to him and saw Avery holding a flashlight and pointing it at the engine. Now rested, showered, and changed, she looked renewed and refreshed. She had her hair styled straight with a slight wave to it. Her skintight jeans and off-the-shoulder top gave her a sexy but relaxed feel. With only lipstick on her lips that he could notice, she still looked like an amazing, natural beauty.
“I can’t believe you’re still out here.” She smiled.
That alone gave him all the thanks he could need, not that he did it for her appreciation.
“I’m a man of my word, although it’s not looking good.” He made one final adjustment and crossed his fingers before occupying the driver’s seat and trying her car again. This time, beyond his wildest dreams, the engine turned over and the car started.
“Oh my God. You did it.” Avery covered her mouth as she came around to the driver’s side. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“I told you I used to work on cars. It was a long, long time ago, but it looks like I still have it.” Laz turned it off and got out of the car.
She started to raise her arms to hug him, but he recoiled.
“Um, I’m dirty.” He knew his thoughts had been. To illustrate his point, he lifted his hands and showed off the oil and grease covering them, his arms, and his T-shirt. “It looks like you showered and changed. You look very nice.” He nodded and dropped his gaze to the ground.
Wow. She even had on strappy high-heel shoes.
“I have.” She looked back at her front door. “Did you want to come in and shower?” She must have thought about how seductive the question sounded the way she squeezed her eyes shut. “I mean, if you don’t want to go to your hotel smelling like a garage, you can use my shower.”
Laz started to say that he had a hotel room, but he didn’t. He had checked out of it that morning with the plan to go back home. Since he made that decision, he realized that it meant he had his clothes with him.
“Actually, I would like to take you up on the offer. I gave up my hotel room. I need to go back and rebook it. Before that, though, I can get cleaned up and
we can go to an open mic from here. What do you say?” That plan would keep them on track.
“Sounds good. You go get your stuff.” She held her hand out to get her keys.
Laz handed them to her, then ran to his rental vehicle and got his suitcase. He followed her into her home. He didn’t expect that as soon as he went through the door that he would be met by a set of stairs that went up to her apartment.
When he got to the main apartment area, he did the same there that he did in her car. He scanned the place to get a good feeling about her. What made this woman tick?
The simple apartment furnishings matched the woman in front of him. The living room held one tan couch and a matching chair along with a coffee table, end table, and a lamp. She had one small picture on the end table. If given some alone time, he wanted to inspect it.
From where he stood, he got a view of a small, galley-style kitchen with a door that must have gone to a balcony. Across from him sat two doors. The bathroom sat directly in front of him, which meant the other door had to be her bedroom. Thinking of that had blood pumping to the wrong areas of his body.
He turned to her. “Tell me where you want me.”
“You really want to know?”
Chapter 7
Avery had to stop pushing the boundary with this man. She couldn’t deny that when Laz offered to fix her car, she started to feel that juvenile, giddy feeling. Then she got up to her apartment and watched him from her bedroom window working hard on her sad baby. When he took off his shirt, she had to take a cool shower.
She imagined running her hands down his long, muscled arms, and across his wide back. From her window, she couldn’t tell if he had hair on his chest. It didn’t matter. The large planes of it appealed to her so much that she remembered drooling at one point. Thankfully, he didn’t catch her watching him.
He also never used the set of keys she entrusted him with to come into her apartment to give her a surprise visit, not that she thought he would. Laz practically bit her head off when she had accused him of propositioning her.
So now why did she like the idea of having this man in other ways than just a manager?
Come on, Avery. That’s the old you. The wild you. Stay focused.
“The bathroom is right there.” She turned on the light in the bathroom. “Fresh towels are in the cabinet under the sink.”
Laz nodded. “Thanks. I won’t be too long.”
As soon as the door closed, it felt like he had been in there for hours. Avery paced in her small apartment. When she heard the shower start, she did a quick assessment of her space. It had been a while since she had anyone other than family or very close friends in her place.
Avery hid loose papers and bills in drawers, and then fluffed out pillows on her couch. She rushed to her galley-style kitchen and shoved her dirty dishes into her dishwasher without caring where items landed. Once she got Laz out of her bathroom and her home, she would put things back to their natural, messy position.
“Whew. Clean. Good.” Avery nodded at her accomplishments and even plopped down in the center of her couch to admire her work.
She didn’t have to worry about her bedroom because she wouldn’t be inviting him back there. Avery had enough sense not to mix business with pleasure.
At the thought of pleasure, she sat up straight and cursed. She knew exactly what hid in one of the drawers in her bathroom. Avery hadn’t thought about that little assistant until she encountered Laz and his incredible eyes and those large hands and his mouth. To top all of those attributes, he had also been kind, protective, and goal-oriented. No wonder Avery wanted to touch herself and think about him.
She didn’t want to think about the fact that he could be delving in her bathroom drawers, looking for something innocent and stumble upon her personal stash. She also had no idea she would invite this man, this stranger, into her home. Bottom line, he had been a stranger, despite her studying his driver’s license.
She saw him at the karaoke place briefly. She encountered him in the men’s bathroom at work. Then he managed to get her fired from her diner job. That alone should have gotten him a one-way ticket to exile.
He had recognized something about her situation in a matter of seconds that people who claim to love and care for her either hadn’t acknowledged or didn’t want to respond to in over a year. Even her former boss’s steady girlfriend had said nothing.
Avery’s phone rang, and she quickly picked it up from the coffee table. Seeing Graciela’s name across the screen brought a smile to her face. “Hey.”
“How are you doing?” Remorse filled Graciela’s voice.
“I’m okay. I knew I wouldn’t be working there for long. I just thought I would be leaving on my own head of steam.” Avery crossed her legs.
“Customers are still talking about it. Well, the customers who have chosen to come back. As soon as they heard the reason that guy pressed Pig up against the wall was because he put his hand on your ass, they wanted to kick Pig’s ass themselves.” Graciela laughed. “Uncle Pig has kept himself pretty much hidden in his office now. Mona can’t even lure him out during the day.”
Avery wanted to smile at that news. It sucked that the man had to be physically threatened in order to do the right thing.
“Since he doesn’t come out that much anymore, maybe you can come on back.” Graciela had a lilt in her voice full of hope.
Avery shook her head even though her friend wouldn’t be able to see her. “No. I’m still a bit raw from the whole thing.”
“But you’re going to need money. And who was that guy who helped you? Did you know him?”
Avery stared at the closed bathroom door. Since seeing him, she had imagined things about him. She had certainly fantasized about him. She couldn’t say she knew him.
“No. I don’t know him.” She cleared her throat.
“Hey, I’m free this evening. I can come by with a bottle of wine and we can watch bad TV.”
“No. I have plans this evening.” Avery squeezed her legs together when she felt that familiar throbbing again.
Easy, girl.
“You do? What’s that? Are you going to Songbirds? I know how much you love singing. Right about now, you need to do things that make you happy.”
Graciela had that right.
The shower turned off, and Avery’s heart accelerated. She closed her eyes and imagined Laz exiting the cream-colored bathtub to dry off that body. Whoa. That body.
“Look. I have to go. I’ll tell you about it later.” She sat at the edge of the couch.
“No way. Why are you being so secretive? Tell me.”
She could practically see Graciela grabbing her keys to head over to Avery’s place.
“Later.” Avery disconnected the call. She thought about the soaking-wet man coming out of her shower.
Avery fanned her face. If she couldn’t deal with the fantasy of the man, how would she deal with him as a manager? Did she even want him to manage her? It all sounded wonderful and romantic and everything she had ever wanted. If this all came true, if she landed a recording deal, how would she explain it to her parents? She could almost see the disappointment covering their faces.
No, Avery needed to politely tell Laz that she couldn’t go through with his plan. No open mic. No music career. No more seeing him on a consistent basis. Losing the last two hurt more than she thought it would.
Avery stood when she heard the doorknob to the bathroom jiggle.
“Stay firm. No means no.” Avery repeated the positive mantras until the door opened and Laz put his hand out and only his hand.
“I just want you to know that I’m not fully dressed for a reason.” He only left his arm exposed as he spoke to her from inside the bathroom.
“Holy hell,” Avery said under her breath.
“I need something and it was easier to co
me out this way.” Laz walked out of the bathroom.
His definition of not being fully dressed differed from hers. She had expected him to only have a towel around his waist. She imagined standing in front of him and pulling it down. That would be one way to convince him not to go to this open mic.
Laz came out of the bathroom wearing a dark pair of jeans and black leather shoes that looked too stylish to even touch her floor. He didn’t have on a shirt, but he carried a garment in his hand. He thought being shirtless meant he hadn’t been fully dressed.
He approached her but stopped at a comfortable distance away. “I spilled a little bit of toothpaste on my shirt. You wouldn’t happen to have one of those laundry sticks or wipes, would you?”
Avery stared at the cobalt blue shirt with a telltale white stain on it before bringing her attention to his bare chest. Her curiosity had been satisfied. No hair on his muscular yet lean chest. She ached to touch his dark pink nipples that seemed to get harder the longer she stared at them. To top that all off, he had chiseled abs that she wanted to lick.
God, had it been that long since she had been in the room with a man? Did she want someone or did she really want Laz? She licked her lips.
“Avery?”
When he called her name, she snapped out of her haze. “What? Shirt. Yes. Um, no. I mean, no laundry thingy.” She approached him. “Can it be rinsed out?”
She touched the garment and brushed her hand over his. The connection forced her to bring her gaze up to his. The energy that flowed back and forth between them electrically charged the air until Avery imagined hearing the distinct popping sound. Did she imagine it or did Laz’s breathing increase?
His wet blond hair now looked darker. Yet, he had it styled already with a side part. Avery wanted so much to rustle her fingers through his damp tresses, and then grip it with both hands while she kissed him.
“I’ll find something else to wear.” He smiled and backed away from her, almost like he didn’t want to stop looking at her.
Love Like Crazy Page 9